“We had given up the idea of adopting until we met David Avilla of Advocate for Orphans International.”

“When we were there an issue came up that he was able to resolve immediately while other families had to stay there for 5 or 6 extra weeks to resolve a similar issue.”

“From the very beginning he was very honest with us about the uncertainly of the process. He never sugarcoated the truth and never made any guarantees to us.”

“David provided detailed step by step instructions on how to complete all the required paperwork.”

“From the very beginning, David was always honest and upfront with us about the process and the expenses involved.”

“We give David the highest praise for generously giving us his time, always being available and ready to listen to our fears and concerns (often unfounded), always encouraging us, and providing a shoulder to lean on and a friendly ear to vent our frustrations (not with David, but with the length and complexity of the process).”

“I would recommend working with David to my friends and family without hesitation.”

“David had an open door policy when it came to listening to our complaints and frustrations.”

“All the costs were exactly as David outlined in the beginning of the process – there were no surprises.”

“He is generous with his time and stays in touch every step of the way, offering guidance with the enormous paperwork process and encouragement in a journey where no two experiences are ever the same.”

“One of the biggest assets that David’s organization has – is their Ukrainian partners.”

“And though we were terrified of making emotional and financial commitments without having any guarantee of what a final outcome would be, we appreciated David’s direct approach and his honesty.”

“When we actually traveled and met with David’s Ukrainian partners – they are courteous, dedicated and professional. But most importantly, we could observe first-hand how their knowledge and connections made the process run smoothly and completed in record time.”

“We felt safe and completely taken care of.”

“David’s pre-packaged and tested document repository really made the complicated paperwork process as easy as it can possibly be.”

“David and his partners are reliable, knowledgeable and trustworthy.”

“In the end, everything occurred exactly as predicted – the process for us was accurate down to the minute as explained to us before we traveled to Ukraine.”

“Each document was the correct document and accurate verbiage as a result of David’s experience with this process. By following his directions, we had the right thing to the right social worker, fingerprinter, translator, courier, and/or government office, foreign and domestic, on time and in the right sequence.”

“I am grateful for the assistance, support, and friendship from David throughout this process.”

“David is a critical factor in our success in this process, helping us meet the requirements to host, introducing us to our daughter-to-be, providing on-tap translators, helping with the paperwork and catching my errors before I shipped the crucial dossier to Ukraine.”

“David was genuinely interested in helping us to go through the process as smoothly and painlessly as he could.”

“Some issues came up recently nearly one year after our adoption, and David helped out even though he had no obligation to do so.”

“David also kept in touch with us while we were in Ukraine. He was following our blog and was available any time that we needed him.”

“We admire David for what he does. What a great deed when someone helps to find homes for orphans who would otherwise end up on the streets.”

“He knows his job well and he was able to get us out of the country in a short period of time.”

“The bureaucracy in Ukraine is unbelievable, however he navigated us through the process very smoothly.”

“We would definitely pick David if we decide to adopt again.”

“We are very glad that we used David and would recommend him to other people that are adopting.”

Our experience in working with David Avilla when adopting from Ukraine… We were thinking about adopting for years, but could not make a move, terrified of the process and not knowing where to begin and whom to trust. But just nine months after meeting with David Avilla, we brought our daughter home from Ukraine!

The most valuable service that David provides is bringing the orphaned school-aged children over to meet the families. Once you meet the children, interact with them, look into their eyes – there is no going back. We fell in love with our daughter during one of those trips in the summer of 2008 and jumped head on into the adoption process.

Little did we know we hit the jackpot twice: not only we found our daughter, we also found a very honest, dedicated, and knowledgeable team of people in David’s organization.

From the very beginning, David was always honest and upfront with us about the process and the expenses involved. All the costs were exactly as David outlined in the beginning of the process – there were no surprises. David provided detailed step by step instructions on how to complete all the required paperwork. The amount of paperwork is daunting, but with David’s system which gives you samples and templates of all the paperwork and clear and detailed guidance as to what to do and when – it becomes quite manageable and can be accomplished in record time. We give David the highest praise for generously giving us his time, always being available and ready to listen to our fears and concerns (often unfounded), always encouraging us, and providing a shoulder to lean on and a friendly ear to vent our frustrations (not with David, but with the length and complexity of the process).

One of the biggest assets that David’s organization has – is their Ukrainian partner. These are the people who are working behind the scenes on your behalf long before you meet them during your travel to Ukraine. These people know how to work the system and have the right connections to get things done and done quickly. Unfortunately, the reality of the situation is that without the right people on the ground in Ukraine, nothing (or very little) can be accomplished. When we actually traveled and met with David’s Ukrainian partners – they are courteous, dedicated and professional. But most importantly, we could observe first-hand how their knowledge and connections made the process run smoothly and completed in record time. What by most accounts should have been a nerve-racking and gut-wrenching experience almost seemed like a vacation. We felt safe and completely taken care of.

Everyone’s experience is unique and different. Every case and every family have their own unique challenges. David does not control the process, nor does he pretend to be in control of it. From the very beginning he was very honest with us about the uncertainly of the process. He never sugarcoated the truth and never made any guarantees to us. And though we were terrified of making emotional and financial commitments without having any guarantee of what a final outcome would be, we appreciated David’s direct approach and his honesty. The truth is – everyone going through this process will have to take emotional and financial risks! Not even David’s Ukrainian partners control the process, though they are working tirelessly to minimize and/or avoid any possible obstacles. Most of the time, you are at the whim of some government bureaucrat or Ukrainian domestic politician. Though most families are successful in accomplishing their goals, rules can change at any point and it may leave some families heartbroken.

Despite all of the uncertainty, if you choose to navigate through this complex and treacherous process, David and those he works with are reliable, knowledgeable and trustworthy partners. I would recommend working with David to my friends and family without hesitation.

The adoption process can be overwhelming, financially and emotionally. It is wise to work with someone who not only knows in great detail what is necessary from the US side and the foreign country, but is also sympathetic to the personal goals of couples wanting to grow their family. David Avilla has supported us in all ways and he knows the ropes: he and his wife have adopted five children. He is generous with his time and stays in touch every step of the way, offering guidance with the enormous paperwork process and encouragement in a journey where no two experiences are ever the same.

NEW YORK — The number of foreign children adopted by Americans plunged more than a quarter in the past year, reaching the lowest level since 1996 and leading adoption advocates to urge Congress to help reverse the trend… read more

A new study challenges the widespread belief that orphans in poor countries fare best in family-style homes in the community and should be put into orphanages only as a last resort. On the contrary, the care at orphanages is often at least as good as that given by families who take in orphaned or abandoned children, the new research finds…

…The question of how best to care for orphans is urgent and becoming more so, because the numbers are huge and growing. Worldwide, an estimated 143 million children have lost at least one parent… read more

One family’s recommendation of why working with David Avilla of Advocate for Orphans was a positive and successful venture!

I will be leaving for the airport in about 2 hours to collect my wife and my daughter – freshly arrived from Ukraine. Our adoption is complete. There have been some very stressful moments in this process, and I am grateful for the assistance, support, and friendship from David throughout this process. David is a critical factor in our success in this process, helping us meet the requirements to host, introducing us to our daughter-to-be, providing on-tap translators, helping with the paperwork and catching my errors before I shipped the crucial dossier to Ukraine, and most importantly praying with me and for me during the process, especially at crucial junctions when I started to panic.

From a tactical perspective, the paperwork and process are an extremely complicated and detailed part of the adoption journey. Any slip-up here could have made days or weeks difference in when we could get our daughter. David’s pre-packaged and tested document repository really made the complicated paperwork process as easy as it can possibly be. Every step breezed through without a single glitch in paperwork. Each document was the correct document and accurate verbiage as a result of David’s experience with this process. By following his directions, we had the right thing to the right social worker, fingerprinter, translator, courier, and/or government office, foreign and domestic, on time and in the right sequence.

The overseas team was a life-saver in Ukraine. Our job was to be where we were told to be when we were told to be there – the coordination of the complicated visits to SDA, local inspectors, notary bureau, court, travel across Ukraine, orphanage, etc. was completely seamless and transparent to us. There were stressful moments, and the team did their best to calm and reassure a couple of very nervous parents-to-be that all was well and on target. We did observe another family in Ukraine (they had been there for two months already), and it was obvious that they were not as well chaperoned, and that it was not as “easy”. From day one in Ukraine to completion was 29 days for us – over three months for the other family. With several lives (ours and our daughter’s) hanging on the success of this process, it was extremely comforting to have the support of a team that had such a wealth of experience guiding other families through this journey. In the end, everything occurred exactly as predicted – the process for us was accurate down to the minute as explained to us before we traveled to Ukraine. The in-country support was invaluable.

All this coordination by David, from home study team to overseas team, simplified and condensed the process of bringing our child home.

Our eternal gratitude and thanks to all for their assistance in bringing our daughter home. We have been very blessed by this team. “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead”. David – thank you for your actions. I know the Lord takes delight in you and crowns you with salvation.